Head of NIAID Says Those With Health Issues Must ‘Right Now’ Suspend Travel, Practice Social Distancing

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) alongside Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on March 9, 2020. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on “Fox & Friends” that those with underlying health conditions, especially among the elderly, should “right now” stop all travel plans and also distancing themselves from social gatherings amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The novel virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19, has killed thousands worldwide, with experts estimating a mortality rate of between 0.1 and 1 percent.